Evaluation

We work on select evaluations that offer us the opportunity to try new approaches and ground our field-building work in real-life practice.

Developmental Evaluation of the Hewlett Foundation's Madison InitiativeWe are working with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation on the evaluation of its Madison Initiative to help alleviate the problem of political polarization in the U.S., with a special focus on the problem in Congress. The foundation is investing $50 million from 2014-2017. The Foundation is using this initial phase of grantmaking to assess whether and how it can help strengthen the nation’s representative institutions so they are better able to address the major issues facing the country—and do so in ways that work for the American people.

We are conducting a developmental evaluation of the Madison Initiative. Because the Initiative reflects a different way of thinking about foundation strategy (emergent and systems-focused using a spread bet approach), our aim is to use an innovative evaluation and learning approach that both fits with and supports Foundation and grantee and other external partner thinking and acting.